Rail joint



Patented Der'. '3, 1929 UNITED STATES r.rwiTEmT 'OFFICE anni JOINT Appnason mea November e, 192s. serial No. 317,608.

tion to provide a novel and improved type of ran joint.

More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a rail joint in which the `abutting ends of the rails are supported by girder action from the adjacent cross-ties.

One of the features of theinvention consists in the provision of a joint member adapted to bel received in the fishing space of adjoining rails, which member has its upper surface so formed that but a small portion of its'center engages the underside of the rail heads, and in which the rlower face is so formed that only the end portions thereof engage the upper faces of the rail bases whereby the abutting ends of the rails are supported in girder fashion from those portions of the rail bases which rest on crossties.

Other and "further features and objects of the invention will become more apparent the art after a consideration `of the accompanying drawings and following specification wherein there is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the inven tion. It is to be understood that this emto those skilled in bodiment is for purposes of disclosure only and is not to be construed as limiting the invention except in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a pair of rails joined according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a transversesection taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 near the end of the joint;

Figure 4 is a central transverse section taken on line 1ML): of Fig. 2 and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic showing of the fundamentalsjpf the invention.

It has been the practice for a number of years to join the abutting ends of railroad rails by the use of fish plates or similar splice members arranged 4in the fishing space between the under surface of the rail heads and the upper surface of the rail bases, and to bolt are secured together by splice these splice bars, one on either side cf the web, tightly together so that they have a wedging action in the fishing space, thus se curing the two rails together and tending to form a continuous beam orgirder of the same. It is customary to have the rail ends abut midway between a pair of cross-ties, and reliance is placed on this'continuous beam effect to support these ends. and the dynamic load resulting from pounding, particularly of the counterweights kof: locomotive drivers, is suchthat splice bars of this type not only do not remain tight but are seriously worn as a result of movement between them and the rails.

Experience shows that it is improper to attempt to so splice a pair of rail ends that, in effect, the two rails become a continuous girder. The present invention contemplates the use of splice bars which of themselves form a girder substantially supported from adjacent crss-ties and holding the rail ends supported on its upper surface. The splice bar thus becomes, in eiect,-a simple beam or girder supported at the ends and carrying a load midway of its length.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is seen to be applied to the ends of a pair of rails 10 of standard form having the heads 11 with the lishing surfaces 12 and bases 13 with the fishing surfaces 14, one fishing surface at the upper edge and one at the lower edge of the web 15. The rail ends substantially abut as shown at 16, leaving merely suiicient space for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes. The rail ends bars on fish plates 17, which are largely housed within the fishing spaces of the rails. These splice bars are adapted to be held in position by the' bolts 18 passing through their vertical webs and through the web of the rail and fastened with nuts 19 and lockwashers in the standard manner. j

Referring now particularly to Figure 5, which is whollyT diagrammatic, the mode of operation of t e splice bars may better `be understoodiI The single bar shown is formed so that its upper surface engages beneath they rail heads on the surface 12 only between the The static load points 21 and 22. The distance between these oints is considerably less than 25% of the fhll length, of the splice bar. The remaining portions of the upper surface of the splice bar is relieved intermediate its ends as at 24 to clear the fishing surface 14, and only the 4end ortions of the bottom surface of the splice ar engage the fishing surface 14 as shown at 25.

only n wheel loads at the Since it is always customar joint between the rails interine cross-ties between the 22 which is substantially at the center of the splice bar. It will be seen that this type of joint is based on the improved principle, of carryl joints by girderaction in the joint rather than by splice action, asis at present the case. Splice joints, tain a grider In the present design the threepoint contact of the splice bar does not reenforce the ends of the rails butsupports the extreme ends and transfers the resulting ends through the splice bar acting as a girder to the adjacent sup- 'l porting cross ties.

" relieving tl `bottom of each splice bar is the portion which y ing the joint to the cross-ties,

. tie-plates as shown conventional.

"'the'sp'lice bar at the ends,

s clearly seen in Figures 3 and 4, the cross sections of the splice bars are of special form to increase their strength against longitudinal bending. Ior instance, each has a large head 30 with the re-enforcing side'rib j formed b 31 and comparatively thin Web 32 at 33. The

1e inner face as shown takes the tensile load, andit is flattened and widened as shown at 34l and provided With he inner rib 35 and the outer rib 36. The outer face of the web portion is fiat as shown at 37 to receive thefastening means. The portions 34 can be notched as shown at 38 to receive spikes or other meansfor fastenand, of course, at 39 may be used, as is straight,I and that its u upper surface of but that portion ofthe splice bar which extends under the rail -"heads extends up and narrows to the engaging face 40, as shown at 41. V.The ends of t e bottom surface 42 of the wing portions 34'engage the upper surface ofthe rail base .'only'in an areaA directly beneath the rail head,

y Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired by Letters Patent is:

In a rail joint, the combination with aligned meeting rails having heads, webs and bases, of joint plates each formed with a ccntral portion to engage under substantially the full Width of the rail heads beyond the Webs at only the ends thereof, said plates having flanges overlyin substantially the whole width of the rail to be secured 2. In a rail joint, the aligned meeting rails having heads, Webs and bases, of joint plates each formed with a head having a surface to engage the rail heads only each plate at the bottom thereof wider than the rail base flange and engaging the same only at the ends of the plate flange, an i'iitermediate portion between said head and flange out of engagement with said web, the major portion of the metal of each plate being in the head and flange4 to enhance the beam action thereof.

. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN A. MCGREW. 

